What the hell was Loretta talking about today, wanting to “change” Social Security – how? Bad sign that she was talking positively about the Bowles-Simpson “Catfood Commission” in the same breath. As one TPM commenter remarked, “Why is she auditioning for FOX News on MSNBC?”

It can’t be pointed out too many times in these dark, shock-doctrine, propagandistic days, that Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit; that is in fine shape until 2040; and all it needs to be solvent for a long time after that is a minor adjustment to the top limit at which people pay into the fund.

With the temporary Republican majority hellbent on shredding our social safety net, the last thing we need is Democrats starting to go off the reservation and echoing their scare stories. No, we need every Democrat on the same page, fighting to protect this cornerstone of American society.

Is Loretta serious about wanting to raise the retirement age and/or lower benefits for Social Security recipients who have been paying into the fund their whole lives – which is the Catfood Commission’s prescription? Or is this just a gesture meant to restore a little of the blue to her purported Blue Dogginess? I notice despite all her nods to fiscal discipline she got a perfect 0% from the American Conservative Union in 2009. Maybe this sort of talk will get her score up to 5%. But Loretta, Larry Gilbert and Geoff Willis couldn’t vote for you if they wanted to, and they wouldn’t if they could.

Listen to the video. What do you think she meant, change Social Security HOW, and WHY? I will try to get some answers tomorrow.

About Vern Nelson

Greatest pianist in Orange County, and official troubador of both Anaheim and Huntington Beach (the two ends of the Santa Ana Aquifer.) Performs regularly both solo, and with his savage-jazz quintet The Vern Nelson Problem. Reach at vernpnelson@gmail.com, or 714-235-VERN.

9 Comments

You can file this one right alongside her up-to-the-last-minute coyness over whether or not she was going to vote for health care reform.

I sure do wish that we could put someone new (Jose Solorio?) in that seat instead of treating her like a sacred cow year after year after year. She certainly doesn’t deserve the tonguebaths that the crowd over at the “Liberal” OC give her.

Exactly, unfortunately. Talking Points Memo was crawling with commenters saying “Who is primarying her? I want to contribute!” And I had to break the news to these out-of-staters that we don’t have primaries in the Golden State any more, since Prop 14. [Frustratingly my comments aren’t showing up there.]

Also what Democrat could or would run against her? None would, and as far as “could” I can only think of Lou Correa who’d only be worse on stuff like this.

And the fact that she is an untouchable goddess to the DPOC, practically their raison d’etre.

And then I also have to remind myself that more often than not, she does do the right thing. For example she fought hard to get a public option into Obamacare, and she’s been fighting hard for desperately needed High Speed Rail funding for California.

We should call her at 714-621-0102 and tell her Social Security doesn’t need the kind of “changes” the Catfood Commission prescribed.

Social Security is the “cornerstone of American society?” Really? Social Security was brought to life through FDR’s 1935 vision of socialism following the great depression. In existence for only 75 years of the almost 250 years of the US’s existence, social security is hardly the “cornerstone” of American society.

Social Security was the first of many steps aimed at “teaching” the American people that 1) the government could solve all problems, and 2) you don’t need to take responsibility for your own actions. Both of these guiding principles of social security haunt our nation today.

Obviously the government cannot solve all of our problems. Unfortunately the Democrats have done a good job of buying people off and we are very close to that tipping point where more Americans will pay ZERO income tax than those that do pay taxes. Today, 47% of America takes public benefits without paying a dime of federal income tax.

Secondly, social security was adopted at a time when the average life expectancy was about 67-68. If you only lived 2 or 3 years after retirement, there was some rough proportionality between the amount the retiree put into the system and the amount that they took out. Today almost all retirees take out many times the benefits than they put in. Don’t worry about planning for your retirement, the government will fund your shortfall (or at least the 53% of americans that still pay taxes will.)

Maybe cornerstone wasn’t the perfect choice of words – I was about to say “A cornerstone” but I guess a building only has one of those, right? At least in the metaphorical sense. How about a “fundamental pillar of American society.”

As Lawrence O’Donnell has emphasized a lot recently, we – like every other nation – are a mixture of capitalist and socialist. You can go ahead and throw around “socialist” as an expletive if you like. But equally important to American society as the great ideals of independence, responsibility and self-reliance, is the idea that we need to take care of each other to a degree, and take care of our elders who can no longer make a living as they once did. Social Security was a brilliant encapsulation of that belief, which most Americans still share, and probably always will.

Vern, I actually agreed will your second paragraph until I got to the last sentence. I do think that we not only have a need to take care of each other, but an obligation. I just think that is a private function and not a function of the government. I live what I preach everyday in this regard.

There is a reason why politicians are hesitant to tackle entitlement reform. Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. It is not politically expedient….it is unpopular.

I saw this clip, and other portions of it. In the clip you showed, US Rep Sanchez says she is willing to lose her job. But on the portion not shown which caught my eye, when pressed for a specific answer for example, she was asked “Would you support RAISING the retirement age?” Do you know her answer.

Think…What is the typical response a politician gives when he/she does not want to address an issue…and wants to kick it down the street.

She wanted to establish a COMMITTEE to look at it. After 16 years in office, you would expect her to be able to give a simple YES or NO, and then Why it should or should not be raised.